Add another big-money extension to the list for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.
The reigning AFC champions made Super Bowl 59 last season in no small part thanks to their defense. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo led a unit that finished the year fourth in points allowed and gave up more than 25 points just five times.
Less than a week after rewarding one of their top young talents on the offensive line – guard Trey Smith – the team handed out a long-term extension to one of its best young players on defense: edge rusher George Karlaftis.
Kansas City and Karlaftis agreed to a four-year, $93 million extension with $62 million guaranteed, per multiple reports.
Kansas City drafted Karlaftis in the first round, No. 30 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He started all 17 games at edge rusher as a rookie in 2022 and hasn’t missed a game since.
Through his first three seasons, Karlaftis has 24.5 sacks, including a career-high 10.5 in 2023.
He led the Chiefs in sacks with 8.0 last season and finished tied for third league-wide in quarterback hits with 28. Only Denver’s Zach Allen (40) and Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson (36) had more.
George Karlaftis contract details
Karlaftis and the Chiefs agreed to a four-year extension worth $92 million, giving him an average annual value (AAV) of $22 million. He could get up to $23.25 million per season if he hits specific incentives.
That standard AAV puts him 11th league-wide among edge rushers behind Minnesota’s Andrew Van Ginkel ($23 million) and ahead of Hendrickson ($21 million). If he meets all those incentives, he’ll go up to 10th in AAV.
This makes him the second-highest paid defender on the Chiefs defense by AAV behind defensive tackle Chris Jones.
That could change if the team decides to sign fellow 2022 NFL Draft first-round pick Trent McDuffie to a long-term extension. Like Karlaftis, he’s entering the second-to-last year of his rookie contract.
Kansas City has picked up McDuffie’s fifth-year option so he will be with the team through 2026 at the least.